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Alzheimer's Disease Caregivers - Education Modules

Male Caregiver Strain or Burden: Caring for a Loved One with Alzheimer's Disease

Author: Cheryl E. Gies, DPN, APRN, CNP

Many men are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). You may be one
of these men. You probably already know that over time, persons with AD gradually
have more and more trouble thinking and performing everyday activities. At first their
"forgetting" is not much of a problem and seems easy to explain, ignore or work around.
Most male caregivers adjust to these early memory problems by trying to keep daily
life as "normal" as possible. Oftentimes, other relatives or friends bring problems
to their attention.

As time goes on, your loved one's memory and ability to perform self care will decline
and you will notice that it takes more of your energy to keep up with day to day responsibilities
and caregiving tasks. Most men do not like to ask for help and try to handle caregiving
"like a man" by focusing on the tasks and blocking their emotions. Sadly, AD caregiving
is not limited to days or weeks; but, becomes more and more complicated as the years
go by. The long term effects of this care work puts you at risk for caregiver strain.
Helping you find ways to deal with the long term strain or burden of caregiving from
a man's view may be helpful and is the topic of this educational module.